Vehicle wheel



Feb. 7, 1950 E. s. M PHERSON 2,497,031

VEHICLE WHEEL Filed Jan. 15, 1947 Snventor Patented Feb. 7, 1950 1vEnIoLE WHEEL Earle S. MacPherson, Detroit, Mich., assignor to GeneralMotors Corporation, Detroit, ,Mich., a corporation of DelawareApplication January 15, 1947, Serial No. 722,113

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to motor vehicle wheel structure which will berelatively simple and inexpensive, will present a clean appearance andwill be easy to mount quickly and accurately.

. 2 tachment studs 8 engage the disk relatively cl to the disk peripheryand only a narrow band of the wheel area actually transmits axle load tothe pneumatic tire.

Among other things an aim is to reduce the 5 With the wheel shaped toresemble a portion usual number of parts as well as the weight of of aball its central region will project laterally the rotating wheelassembly without sacrifice of beyond the primary wheel attachment studs8' either good appearance or ample strength. Thus and to provide flatattachment faces to be the usual present-day ornamental and costly hubclamped by the studs against the flat face of the cap, which is largelynon-functional except to 10 plate 3 a series of circumferentially spacedand conceal attachment fittings, can be eliminated generally radiallyelongated depressions 9 are acceptably if the central area of the wheelhub pressed into the wheel disk. These sockets, when is shaped topleasing design. Furthermore, simproperly shaped, are in the nature ofstrengthple pressings from thin sheet metal properly ening formationsadding to the inherent sturdishaped for increased ruggedness betterserve the ness of the spherical section and furthermore purpose of aroad wheel and are feasible espethey are enclosing pockets to house thestud heads cially for lightweight vehicles using tires of relaand arecalculated to lessen mechanical unsighttively small inside diameter.liness and to furnish ornamentation to the wheel A preferred embodimentof the invention is center. At the exact center of the wheela'nopenshownin the accompanying drawing wherein 26 ing is pierced therein and thecircular margin is Figure 1 is a sectional view on line l-l of Figurepressed or turned inwardly to form an inwardly 2 and Figure 2 is a frontelevation of the imtapered or frusto-conical flange I 0 concentric withproved wheel assembly. the tire rim and this annular flange i0 is seatedIn the drawing the numeral l indicates an on a reentrant mating taperedsurface on the antifriction bearing in which is rotatably mountnose ofan outwardly projecting boss ll integral ed the axle or wheel spindle 2having integral with the spindle flange 3 and accurately matherewith ahub plate or annular flange 3. Near chined for con-centricity with theaxis of rotation the rim of the flange 3 is a flat circular seatingprovided by the bearings I. To hold the tapered face in a plane normalto the axis of rotation flange ill on its tapered seat thereisacorrespondand in a conventional manner it has a number 30 inglytapered seating surface on a removable stud of circumferentially spacedthreaded openings to I! axially screw threaded into the boss I I. Thesereceive fastening studs 4 to clamp thereagainst interfltting conicalformations insure easy and the web of a brake drum 5. Additionalthreaded accurate application of the removable wheel by openings in theflange 3 radially outwardly of an automatic self-centering action priorto the the axis of rotation provide for reception of reapplication ofthe main attachment studs 6. The movable wheel attachment and drivingbolts 6. wheel assembly is first located on its hub plate by The numberof such bolts in the embodiment the single central'fastening bolt l2 andthe taillustrated is four but can be varied as desired pered seatingsurfaces compel concentricity of and it is to be understood that inplace of headed the wheel in its bearing support. Thereafter the attachmnt bolts there ay be used threaded 40 additional fastening and drivingstuds I; are instuds carried by the hub plate to be engaged by stalled.removable fastening nuts. I claim:

The demountable wheel here shown consists A vehicle wheel having a tirerim and a central merely of two thin metal parts, one being th disk intheform of a spherical segment periphcircular tire rim 1 of the dropcenter type and 46 erally joined to the medial portion of the tire rimthe other a disk 8 riveted at its periphery to the and bulged outwardlytherefrom, said disk being rim 1. In general the shape of the disk 8 isthat formed ith a central aperture having a frustoof a hollow sphericalsegment. As such it can conical marginal wall extending inwardly of theb ea ily formed and ill be capable f wi spherical segment, awheelsupporting hub strucstanding vertical and lateral load. Its dish 50 tureincluding an intermediate peripheral flange shape als abl s i s en raregion t e asportion having detachable fastening connection tened overthe front face of the mounting hub with the disk at least half way fromthe axis to 3 while positioning th tire rim 1 in vertical the peripheryof the disk and two axial portions alignment with the load supportingbearing I. extending oppositely from the intermediate por- Because ofthe small diameter tire rim he atac tion, a brake drum secured to thehub interme- 3 diete portion and entirely housed within anddispoeedelosetothetirerimmnehubexialportion eonstitutin: an axle spindlerotatable in a bearingdispoeedinthebrekedrumandtheseeond hub uielportion having in its outer end a trusto- 0! the second hub axialportion.

EARL! 8. MecPHIlRBON. 223 891 4 REFERENCES men The following referencesare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATE PATENTS Nnme mte Holman May 25, 1920 Ash July 3, 1928Manning May 19, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1921Great Britain 192i

